170 



APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 



one in possession of Humboldt was extremely fond of spiders and insects ; and when 

 shown uncolored figures of wasps, etc., in a work of Natural History, darted forward 

 as if to seize the insect. It remained, however, perfectly indifferent to figures of 

 heads and skeletons of Mammals. 



When several of these monkeys confined in one cage were exposed to a shower 

 of rain, they twined their tails round their necks, and huddled close together in 

 order to impart to one another mutual warmth. The Indians of the Orinoco in- 

 formed Humboldt that they often met with groups of ten or twelve of these mon- 

 keys thus cowering together, whilst others remained outside the group, uttering 



mournful cries at not being allowed to 

 enter. By shooting poisoned arrows at 

 such groups the natives are accustomed 

 to obtain a number of young squirrel- 

 monkeys at a time ; the young clinging 

 to their dying mothers as they fall, 

 and, unless wounded, not leaving them 

 even when dead. All the movements 

 of these little monkeys are rapid, light, 

 and graceful. They have a habit of 

 steadfastly watching the mouth of a per- 

 son when speaking ; and if allowed to 

 sit on the shoulder of their master, they 

 will frequently touch his lips, tongue, 

 or teeth. Mr. Bates speaks of the 

 squirrel-monkeys in Brazil as living in 

 large flocks, and, when on the move, taking flying leaps from tree to tree. 



This species (C. usta) is distinguished from the preceding one 

 Short-Tailed ma i n iy Dy it s shorter tail and naked ear. It inhabits the same 

 M U "k e regions as the last. In some specimens the outer side of the fore-arm 

 is of the same color as the body, but in others it is shot with gold, as 

 in the typical squirrel-monkey. A side view of the head is given in the accompany- 

 ing figure. 



In Bolivia the squirrel-monkeys are represented by a well-marked 

 S p ec j es ( entomophaga) , differing from both the above by its black 

 head, and by the hairs of the body being yellow with long black tips. 

 These parti-colored hairs cause the general hue of the fur to be golden 

 brown. The upper part of the body is, however, of the same black hue as the head ; 

 and this color likewise prevails on the tail, which is of moderate length. The 

 face, throat, and the inner surfaces of the thighs are, on the contrary, of a yellowish- 

 gray color. 



SIDE VIEW OP THE HEAD OP THE SHORT- 

 TAILED SQUIRREL-MONKEY. 

 (From Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1872.) 



Black-Tailed 

 Squirrel- 

 Monkey 



